HR0943 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0943 LRB101 23257 MST 74406 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Holocaust was the systemic annihilation of six million Jews and millions of other victims by the Nazis in the Second World War; and

WHEREAS, Illinois is the home to many Holocaust survivors and their families; and

WHEREAS, In 1990, Illinois was one of the first states in the nation to require education on the Holocaust in public schools; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Millennial Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Survey, released in September of 2020, demonstrated that 59 percent of Illinoisans did not know that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust and that 54 percent of Illinois respondents could not name a single concentration camp or ghetto; and

WHEREAS, According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 2019 Hate Crimes Statistics Report, hate crimes rose to their highest in a decade with a record breaking 51 fatal attacks; there were 953 reports of anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2019; this is a 14% increase from the previous year; and

WHEREAS, Jewish students on college campuses in Illinois have endured an unrelenting campaign of anti-Semitic harassment, which led to an investigation by the United States Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights into the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for its response to such acts on campus; and

WHEREAS, Teaching the lessons of the Holocaust leads to an understanding of the ramifications of prejudice and racism, encourages tolerance of diversity, and nurtures the protection of democratic values and institutions; and

WHEREAS, On January 27, 1945, the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by the Allied troops; and

WHEREAS, The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27 as an annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, The United Nations urges its members to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides; and

WHEREAS, A Holocaust Education Week can be used to spur discussion in schools, communities, and civic organizations throughout Illinois about hate, discrimination, and prejudice and hopefully reduce the number of hate crimes in the State; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend the educators who instruct their students on this important topic each year during Holocaust Education Week in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage school districts and local residents to support this week and participate in informed educational events planned to commemorate the occasion.